The Ethnopoetics of Sida Animal Names

It has been observed that in fauna terminology there exists an inverse relationship between the size of an animal and then length of its name. This phenomenon seems to hold in the Tibeto-Burman language Sida, spoken in Laos and Vietnam. Examination of word-formation processes operating in the Sida fauna lexicon shows that there are both descriptive and depictive modes, which reflect a deeper system of cultural intimacy related to perceived ‘closeness’ to human life. Analysis of the polysyllabic, less transparent names within the Sida system of fauna nomenclature, uncovers an aesthetic that values parallelism, euphony and semantic play. This ethnopoetic approach to fauna nomenclature provides insights into the rich detail of the lexicon, enabling an interpretation of Sida worldviews based on the interface of sound, structure and meaning